Between The Pages

Chapter 25

Juvia recovered rather quickly from her brief fever. In about a day or two she was back to her usual sweet self and continuing with her work which she no longer saw as strenuous. True to his word, Gray started treating Juvia much more kindly. He would greet her in the morning before she left to do her work, whenever he spoke to her his voice was always gentle, and at the end of the day when she returned to her room she find a new flower in a vase waiting for her. She was surprised by his change in behavior but at the same time felt very pleased because she had long suspected that he could be really sweet if he tried.

But he proved to not only be sweet but thoughtful as well. He found himself wanting her to be happy in the Labyrinth and to never let a frown disgrace her lovely features. One example would be during an afternoon when he spotted her in her room looking very melancholic.

She had pulled out a notebook from her backpack and had started writing in it when she turned to a page where the bullies from her world had written a nasty messages while her back was turned in class.

'Freak'

'Ugly'

'Pathetic'

'Mental case.'

'I knew you weren't really Natsu's sister. How could someone as gorgeous as him be related to someone who looks like you?'

'His parents made a mistake adopting you.'

'They should give you back.'

'Hey loser I bet your real dad wrecked his car on purpose as a suicide act because neither he or your mother could live with the fact that they had such a retarded daughter.'

Juvia had meant to erase them that day but she had cried so hard upon arriving home that she had forgotten all about it. But now she had just been reminded of just how much she was hated back home.

"May I come in?" She heard Gray ask and turned to see him standing in her doorway.

"Oh! Yes of course." She quickly composed herself. "Do you need something?"

"No but are you feeling alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"No you're not. I can see it in your face."

"My face?"

"The way it gets all soft and meek like that. Only happens when you're sad. I've noticed."

"I thank you for the concern but really it's nothing you need to worry about."

"You don't really let people know when something's bothering you, do you?"

She turned away from him and busied herself with looking for the basket of sewing tools Mirajane had given her.

"My problems are my problems." She said. "Therefore I should be the only one who should know about them. I shouldn't burden other people with my issues. Besides the problems I have aren't really a big deal. It's just meaningless things that shouldn't upset me."

"I wouldn't call this something meaningless that shouldn't upset you."

She turned back to see him reading her notebook.

"Hey don't read that." She quickly took it from him.

"Is that what the people from your world say to you?"

"No. I mean there are a large number of people who don't always say the nicest things to me. They can be mean."

"Mean? What I just read was down right cruel and I know cruel, believe me."